Guidance for inspectors on our approach to the Training, Support and Development Standards for foster care issued by the Children’s Workforce Development Council

This document was archived on 19 August 2016 as it is no longer current.
The following brief guidance explains our approach on inspection to the Training, Support and Development Standards for foster care. Providers of fostering services have asked how failures by foster carers to meet the Children’s Workforce Development Council fostering standards by April 2011 will impact on our inspection judgements.

Age group:N/A

Published:May 2011

Reference no:110038

Background

1.The Children’s Workforce Development Council launched the Training, Support and Development (TSD) Standards for foster carers in May 2007. The standards are accompanied by a workbook and guide for foster carers, and guidance for managers, supervising social workers and trainers.

2.There is some useful information and case studies on the Children’s Workforce Development Council website showing how some agencies have engaged their carers and promoted the use of the standards:

The status of the standards

3.The new national minimum standards for foster care, which came into effect in April 2011, have been issued and state:

Outcome: Foster carers receive the training and development they need to carry out their role effectively.

20.2. Foster carers are able to evidence that the Training, Support and Development Standards have been attained within 12 months of approval (or within 18 months for family and friends foster carers). For foster carers who were approved as such before April 2008, the standards are attained by April 2011 (or by April 2012 for family and friends foster carers). Fostering households may use the same evidence workbook.

Our approach

4.The Department for Education expectsthat all foster carers will complete the TSD standards to the required timescales as stated above.

5.From April 2011, each fostering service should be able to confirm during inspection that their registered foster carers have met the TSD standards.We do not need to see foster carers’ individual workbooks.

6.If foster carers have not completed the standards in the given timescale, our approach will be based on the individual service being inspected.

7.From April 2011, when making a judgment on the organisation of the fostering service, failure to complete the TSD standards will be considered. Inspectors will assess the cause and impact of not meeting the national minimum standard and look at:

the impact on the children and young people

which carers have failed to complete the standards and whether they are long-serving carers rather than new carers

whether the requirement to complete the standards is made clear during the recruitment process

whether the service has done everything possible to support their carers to achieve the TSD standards

whether the serviceis still working towards helping carers to achieve the TSD standards

whether the serviceis using a variety of methods to help carers gather evidence and demonstrate that they meet the TSD standards

the quality of training and development overall.

8.Inspectors should exercise professional judgement to determine the importance of the evidence found, which could impact on the ‘organisation’ judgement and may lead to recommendations for improvement.

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Guidance for inspectors on our approach to the Training, Support and Development Standards for foster care issued by the Children’s Workforce Development Council

May2011, No. 110038